diff --git a/mx_util.c b/mx_util.c
index b6f404b3..199bcd5c 100644
--- a/mx_util.c
+++ b/mx_util.c
@@ -79,6 +79,154 @@ inline int mx_stribeginswithany(char *str, char **starts, char **endptr)
     return _mx_strbeginswithany(str, starts, endptr, 1);
 }
 
+inline int mx_strtobytes(char *str, unsigned long long int *bytes)
+{
+    unsigned long long int s = 0;
+    unsigned long long int t;
+
+    char *end;
+
+    if (!str || !*str)
+        return -(errno=EINVAL);
+
+    if (strchr(str, '-'))
+        return -(errno=ERANGE);
+
+    do {
+        errno = 0;
+        t = strtoull(str, &end, 10);
+
+        if (errno)
+            return -errno;
+
+        if (str == end)
+            return -(errno=EINVAL);
+
+        for (;*end && *end == ' '; end++)
+            /* empty */;
+
+        switch (*end) {
+
+            case 'T': /* tebi */
+                t *= 1024;
+
+            case 'G': /* gibi */
+                t *= 1024;
+
+            case 'M': /* mebi */
+                t *= 1024;
+
+            case 'k': /* kibi */
+            case 'K':
+                t *= 1024;
+
+            case 'B': /* bytes */
+                end++;
+                break;
+
+            default:
+                return -(errno=EINVAL);
+        }
+
+        if (s+t < s)
+            return -(errno=ERANGE);
+
+        s += t;
+
+        for (;*end && *end == ' '; end++)
+            /* empty */;
+
+        str = end;
+
+    } while (*str);
+
+    *bytes = s;
+
+    return 0;
+}
+
+inline int mx_strtoseconds(char *str, unsigned long long int *seconds)
+{
+    unsigned long long int s = 0;
+    unsigned long long int t;
+
+    char *end;
+
+    if (!str || !*str)
+        return -(errno=EINVAL);
+
+    if (strchr(str, '-'))
+        return -(errno=ERANGE);
+
+    do {
+        errno = 0;
+        t = strtoull(str, &end, 10);
+
+        if (errno)
+            return -errno;
+
+        if (str == end)
+            return -(errno=EINVAL);
+
+        for (;*end && *end == ' '; end++)
+            /* empty */;
+
+        //if (mx_strtounit(end, &end));
+
+        switch (*end) {
+
+            case 'y': /* years */
+                t *= 52;
+
+            case 'w': /* weeks */
+                t *= 7;
+
+            case 'd': /* days */
+                t *= 24;
+
+            case 'h': /* hours */
+                t *= 60;
+
+            case 'm': /* minutes */
+                t *= 60;
+
+            case 's': /* seconds */
+                end++;
+                break;
+
+            default:
+                return -(errno=EINVAL);
+        }
+
+        if (s+t < s)
+            return -(errno=ERANGE);
+
+        s += t;
+
+        for (;*end && *end == ' '; end++)
+            /* empty */;
+
+        str = end;
+
+    } while (*str);
+
+    *seconds = s;
+
+    return 0;
+}
+
+inline int mx_strtominutes(char *str, unsigned long long int *minutes)
+{
+    int res;
+
+    res = mx_strtoseconds(str, minutes);
+
+    if (res >= 0)
+        *minutes /= 60;
+
+    return res;
+}
+
 inline char *mx_strskipwhitespaces(char *str)
 {
     char *s;
diff --git a/mx_util.h b/mx_util.h
index 227007bc..d805aef3 100644
--- a/mx_util.h
+++ b/mx_util.h
@@ -67,6 +67,11 @@ int mx_strbeginswithany(char *str, char **starts, char **endptr);
 
 char *mx_strskipwhitespaces(char *str);
 
+int mx_strtobytes(char *str, unsigned long long int *bytes);
+
+int mx_strtoseconds(char *str, unsigned long long int *seconds);
+int mx_strtominutes(char *str, unsigned long long int *minutes);
+
 int mx_strtoul(char *str,  unsigned long int *to);
 int mx_strtoull(char *str, unsigned long long int *to);
 
diff --git a/mxqd.c b/mxqd.c
index b5e6697b..8bd485c9 100644
--- a/mxqd.c
+++ b/mxqd.c
@@ -290,8 +290,13 @@ int server_init(struct mxq_server *server, int argc, char *argv[])
 
             case 'm':
                 if (mx_strtoul(optctl.optarg, &memory_total) < 0) {
-                    mx_log_err("Invalid argument supplied for option --memory '%s': %m", optctl.optarg);
-                    exit(1);
+                    unsigned long long int bytes;
+
+                    if(mx_strtobytes(optctl.optarg, &bytes) < 0) {
+                        mx_log_err("Invalid argument supplied for option --memory '%s': %m", optctl.optarg);
+                        exit(1);
+                    }
+                    memory_total = bytes/1024/1024;
                 }
                 if (!memory_total)
                     memory_total = 2048;
@@ -299,8 +304,13 @@ int server_init(struct mxq_server *server, int argc, char *argv[])
 
             case 'x':
                 if (mx_strtoul(optctl.optarg, &memory_max) < 0) {
-                    mx_log_err("Invalid argument supplied for option --max-memory-per-slot '%s': %m", optctl.optarg);
-                    exit(1);
+                    unsigned long long int bytes;
+
+                    if(mx_strtobytes(optctl.optarg, &bytes) < 0) {
+                        mx_log_err("Invalid argument supplied for option --max-memory-per-slot '%s': %m", optctl.optarg);
+                        exit(1);
+                    }
+                    memory_max = bytes/1024/1024;
                 }
                 break;
 
diff --git a/mxqsub.c b/mxqsub.c
index d4d8eb29..5a48b0cb 100644
--- a/mxqsub.c
+++ b/mxqsub.c
@@ -775,8 +775,13 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 
             case 'm':
                 if (mx_strtou64(optctl.optarg, &arg_memory) < 0) {
-                    mx_log_crit("--memory '%s': %m", optctl.optarg);
-                    exit(EX_CONFIG);
+                    unsigned long long int bytes;
+
+                    if(mx_strtobytes(optctl.optarg, &bytes) < 0) {
+                        mx_log_crit("--memory '%s': %m", optctl.optarg);
+                        exit(EX_CONFIG);
+                    }
+                    arg_memory = bytes/1024/1024;
                 }
                 break;
 
@@ -784,8 +789,18 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
                 mx_log_warning("option '--time' is deprecated. please use '--runtime' or '-t' in future calls.");
             case 't':
                 if (mx_strtou32(optctl.optarg, &arg_time) < 0) {
-                    mx_log_crit("--runtime '%s': %m", optctl.optarg);
-                    exit(EX_CONFIG);
+                    unsigned long long int minutes;
+
+                    if(mx_strtominutes(optctl.optarg, &minutes) < 0) {
+                        mx_log_crit("--runtime '%s': %m", optctl.optarg);
+                        exit(EX_CONFIG);
+                    }
+                    if ((unsigned long long int)(uint32_t)minutes != minutes) {
+                        errno = ERANGE;
+                        mx_log_crit("--runtime '%s': %m", optctl.optarg);
+                        exit(EX_CONFIG);
+                    }
+                    arg_time = (uint32_t)minutes;
                 }
                 break;
 
diff --git a/test_mx_util.c b/test_mx_util.c
index 5bb570bb..66dd7766 100644
--- a/test_mx_util.c
+++ b/test_mx_util.c
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ static void test_mx_strtoul(void)
     assert(mx_strtoul("-1", &l) == -ERANGE);
     assert(mx_strtoul(" -1", &l) == -ERANGE);
 
+    assert(mx_strtoul("123s", &l) == -EINVAL);
     assert(mx_strtoul("0888", &l) == -EINVAL);
     assert(mx_strtoul("1.2", &l)  == -EINVAL);
     assert(mx_strtoul("1,2", &l)  == -EINVAL);
@@ -181,6 +182,95 @@ static void test_mx_strbeginswithany(void)
     assert(end == NULL);
 }
 
+static void test_mx_strtoseconds(void)
+{
+    unsigned long long int l;
+
+    assert(mx_strtoseconds("123s", &l) == 0);
+    assert(l == 123);
+
+    assert(mx_strtoseconds("0123s", &l) == 0);
+    assert(l == 123);
+
+    assert(mx_strtoseconds("123s0s", &l) == 0);
+    assert(l == 123);
+
+    assert(mx_strtoseconds("2m3s", &l) == 0);
+    assert(l == 123);
+
+    assert(mx_strtoseconds(" 2 m 3 s ", &l) == 0);
+    assert(l == 123);
+
+    assert(mx_strtoseconds("1h 2m 3s", &l) == 0);
+    assert(l == 60*60 + 2*60 + 3);
+
+    assert(mx_strtoseconds("2m 3s 1h", &l) == 0);
+    assert(l == 60*60 + 2*60 + 3);
+
+    assert(mx_strtoseconds("2m 3s 1h1y", &l) == 0);
+    assert(l == 60*60 + 2*60 + 3 + 52*7*24*60*60);
+
+    assert(mx_strtoseconds("2m 3s 1h1y", &l) == 0);
+    assert(l == 60*60 + 2*60 + 3 + 52*7*24*60*60);
+
+    assert(mx_strtoseconds("-1", &l) == -ERANGE);
+    assert(mx_strtoseconds(" -1", &l) == -ERANGE);
+
+    assert(mx_strtoseconds("123", &l)  == -EINVAL);
+    assert(mx_strtoseconds("0123", &l)  == -EINVAL);
+    assert(mx_strtoseconds("1.2", &l)  == -EINVAL);
+    assert(mx_strtoseconds("1,2", &l)  == -EINVAL);
+    assert(mx_strtoseconds("test", &l) == -EINVAL);
+}
+
+static void test_mx_strtominutes(void)
+{
+    unsigned long long int l;
+
+    assert(mx_strtominutes("123s", &l) == 0);
+    assert(l == 2);
+
+    assert(mx_strtominutes("20d", &l) == 0);
+    assert(l == 20*24*60);
+
+
+    assert(mx_strtominutes("-1", &l) == -ERANGE);
+    assert(mx_strtominutes(" -1", &l) == -ERANGE);
+
+    assert(mx_strtominutes("123", &l)  == -EINVAL);
+    assert(mx_strtominutes("0123", &l)  == -EINVAL);
+    assert(mx_strtominutes("1.2", &l)  == -EINVAL);
+    assert(mx_strtominutes("1,2", &l)  == -EINVAL);
+    assert(mx_strtominutes("test", &l) == -EINVAL);
+}
+
+static void test_mx_strtobytes(void)
+{
+    unsigned long long int l;
+
+    assert(mx_strtobytes("123B", &l) == 0);
+    assert(l == 123);
+
+    assert(mx_strtobytes("2M", &l) == 0);
+    assert(l == 2*1024*1024);
+
+    assert(mx_strtobytes("1M1024k", &l) == 0);
+    assert(l == 2*1024*1024);
+
+    assert(mx_strtobytes("1024k1024K", &l) == 0);
+    assert(l == 2*1024*1024);
+
+    assert(mx_strtobytes("-1", &l) == -ERANGE);
+    assert(mx_strtobytes(" -1", &l) == -ERANGE);
+
+    assert(mx_strtobytes("2.5M", &l)  == -EINVAL);
+    assert(mx_strtobytes("123", &l)  == -EINVAL);
+    assert(mx_strtobytes("0123", &l)  == -EINVAL);
+    assert(mx_strtobytes("1.2", &l)  == -EINVAL);
+    assert(mx_strtobytes("1,2", &l)  == -EINVAL);
+    assert(mx_strtobytes("test", &l) == -EINVAL);
+}
+
 int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 {
     test_mx_strskipwhitespaces();
@@ -191,5 +281,8 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
     test_mx_strbeginswith();
     test_mx_stribeginswith();
     test_mx_strbeginswithany();
+    test_mx_strtoseconds();
+    test_mx_strtominutes();
+    test_mx_strtobytes();
     return 0;
 }